Illinois standout commits to NU
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BY TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star
With a brother in the majors and a sister competing in the heptathlon for UCLA, Hannah Werth believed that she had seen it all in athletics.
That was before Hannah, the youngest of the three talented Werth siblings, showed up at the NU Coliseum to watch Nebraska play volleyball.
“I looked up, and to see fans all the way to the top, I knew that I wanted to be a part of that,” Werth said Thursday. “I really believe that it’s the best place for me.”
Werth phoned Nebraska coach John Cook with the news last week, and she made it official Thursday after letting all of the other schools that were recruiting her — including Wisconsin, Illinois, Stanford, UCLA and Florida — in on her decision.
The junior from Springfield, Ill., is the Huskers’ first known commitment for 2009, and her decision tempered the news this week that Rachel Holloway, NU’s All-America setter, would not be returning for her final two seasons.
Werth, who says she stands 6-foot, was recruited as an outside hitter but was working hard Thursday to improve on all of her skills. A star at Glenwood High School in Chatham, Ill., she plays with Illini Elite, a club based an hour down the road in Bloomington, Ill.
“I’m trying to learn to play all the positions,” Werth said. “I want to be able to do whatever I can to contribute to the team.”
Already, Werth calls herself “an oddball,” but not because of where she’ll line up on the court. Werth says that because she chose volleyball in the sixth grade when family history might have led her elsewhere.
Brother Jayson, 27, on Tuesday agreed to a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies that will pay the sixth-year player $1.7 million this season. Her father, Dennis; an uncle, Dick Schofield; and her grandfather, “Ducky” Schofield, also were big-leaguers.
Hannah’s sister, Hillary, is a sophomore at UCLA, and their mother, Kim (Schofield) Werth, was a track star at Florida.
“I grew up obsessed with all aspects of sports,” Hannah Werth said, “and volleyball is what I fell in love with.”
Werth’s name was undoubtedly at or near the top of NU’s wish list for its 2009 recruiting class. Named by PrepVolleyball.com this week as a top-50 recruit, Werth is likely to be one of the first names listed when the Web site ranks its “Senior Aces” next summer.
Werth plans to graduate early and join Nebraska in time for the 2009 spring exhibition season. Her commitment won’t become official until letters of intent are signed in November.
Reach Todd Henrichs at 473-7320 or thenrichs@journalstar.com.
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